The Saddest Happiest Day

Orlando, the puppy that aspirated something while with his first adoptive family, got bilateral bronchial pneumonia, nearly went over the Rainbow Bridge, and has been recuperating for the last five months --- has found his forever home!

With the help of Dr. Doug and his foster mom, Gina, Orlando was able to be weaned off the antibiotics and got well enough to be neutered. While all of this was going on, a young man named Elijah, who suffers from asthma and knows the limits to his activity, not to mention the medication and the nebulization, was looking at Petfinder to find a dog. He spotted Orlando, read about his problems, and told his parents that this was a dog who had the same problems he did. They decided to look into adopting Orlando.

Orlando and Elijah love to play, but they have to sit and catch their breath every once in awhile. Sometimes they have to be nebulized, particularly when the weather is hot and humid. The great part is that Elijah understands Orlando's needs and vice versa.

So, after five months of treatment and some $10,000 in veterinary expenses, Orlando was adopted yesterday by Elijah and his family. For Nancy, Gina, and myself, it was the saddest happiest day - tears of joy and many thanks for the blessings and things that we learned from this event in our lives.